May 10, 2024 at 11:15 p.m.

Twin Creek MetroPark (Scenic overlook on Eby Road)


In the beginning, we just saw a gorgeous moon. We were one of maybe three carloads of people looking for the Northern Lights. After several minutes of seemingly no action, others were leaving.

 

Is it a waning or waxing crescent moon? I do not know. There is a small sliver of light of the moon reflecting the sun.

 

11:23 p.m.


I thought I was imagining the green haze beneath the moon and the red near the horizon. I set my camera to a longer exposure and sure enough, the camera sensor caught it more vividly than my eyes! As subtle as it began, I was amazed I could see any color at all. It was so beautiful! Wayne and I called/texted a others so they wouldn't miss this once in a lifetime experience.

 

Moonlight illuminates the northern lights seen in Ohio on May 10th 2024. Purple and red swirls dance in the night sky.

 

11:29 p.m.


The real show begins, and the parking lot fills with cars jostling for good spots! These images are all displayed in the sequence I shot them, and the variation between them is how the light and colors changed over the minutes. The lights seemed to fade around midnight where we were. The joy of seeing the colors change gradually with my eyes was simply beautiful and left me awestruck. But the first time I snapped a 30 second exposed photo, I was even more blown away. That was the first time I've ever really experienced my camera having "seen" something more vibrantly than my eyes. I always try to edit images naturally and simply (with nothing more added, nothing taken away) to really convey whatever I experienced. In this case, I tried to just stay as close as possible to what the camera captured.

 

Purple, green, and red hues of the northern lights begin to appear in full force in Ohio!
This image shows the sky transitioning to more reddish purple hues.
Vivid red hues dance across the May night sky in Ohio in 2024.
Blue, purple and green hues largely dominate behind a radio tower in Germantown, Ohio.
Blue, purple and green hues largely dominate behind a radio tower in Germantown, Ohio.
Blue, purple and green hues largely dominate behind a radio tower in Germantown, Ohio.
The Northern Lights begin to fade as midnight approaches in Ohio.

 

I'll make a print out of at least one of these. Do you have a favorite?

If you got to see the Northern Lights, I'd love to see your photos as well!

If you missed seeing them, do you have a favorite memory or time you saw something in nature that astonished you?